


Schoolboy Crush

by puss_nd_boots



Category: Fest Vainqueur, LEZARD (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Gay Bashing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-27
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-11-06 08:01:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17935913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/puss_nd_boots/pseuds/puss_nd_boots
Summary: Shy university student Kosuke wants only to get to know his classmate Hiro, but doesn’t know how. When circumstances do bring him together, he learns the other boy may be hiding secrets in his past.





	Schoolboy Crush

**Author's Note:**

> My February challenge for vkyaoi, using Moodboard 18 and Quote 14: “On every street corner I’m looking for people that could be you/And hope we could meet soon.” This fic was a direct result of Hiro and Kosuke’s Zensai Boys project, because putting that much adorable into one session band should be illegal. Lezard is property of Riostar Records, Fest Vainqueur is property of plug records WEST, I own the story only.

The first time Kosuke saw Hiro, he was sitting in the lecture hall, scribbling notes as usual, trying to keep his mind focused on the endless assortment of figures and equations the teacher was writing on the board.

Except the longer the teacher droned on, the harder focus became to achieve, and he found his eyes drifting across the other students – people he saw around campus all the time. Here, the bleached-blonde girl with the multiple Sanrio pins on her shoulder bag; there, the straitlaced boy with the bowl haircut and the enormous horn-rimmed glasses; and in the corner, the shy girl who seemed to hide in the back of every class . . .

But then, his eyes fell on someone he hadn’t seen before. A boy with pink hair, who seemed to be scribbling just as intently as Kosuke had been a moment before.

Where did he come from? Kosuke thought. I’ve never seen him before. You’d think I’d seen everyone in this school by now – it’s the start of our senior year. Maybe he had different colored hair? But no, I’d remember a face like that . . .

He tried to get his focus back on school, and for awhile, he succeeded. He was back to scribbling. But his attention kept being drawn across the room. The boy looked, well, sweet. Although not a cloying sweet. Kosuke suspected he’d have a mischievous side to him, that he’d be the kind of person who would suggest pulling pranks, or would tease a friend . . .

And he needed to stop thinking about this. He had a high grade point average, he needed to keep that up. He had to get a good job once he was done with university, had to make a comfortable life for himself . . .

Except part of him kept thinking there was more to life than grades and achievement. Things like, well, that boy.

And so, he continued to be distracted throughout the class, despite his best efforts.

* * *

“Have you said anything to that boy yet?” his friend Natsume asked him over lunch a few weeks later.

Kosuke looked startled and nearly dropped his onigiri. “What boy?” he said.

“Oh, come on,” Natsume said. “You think nobody has seen you staring at him? The second you sit down in that class, your head turns toward him and doesn’t leave.”

“I . . . I’ve noticed him, a bit . . .”

“A bit?” Natsume said. “Try a lot. Try everyone in the class knows you have a thing for that guy. Heck, life on other planets knows you have a thing for that guy.”

“I . . . I may be interested, a bit,” Kosuke said, staring intently at his plate.

“Have you found out anything about him yet?”

“Like . . . like what?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe . . . his name?”

“No,” Kosuke said, quietly. “I don’t know that yet.”

“You’ve been mooning over that guy for HOW long and you don’t even know his NAME?”

“Three weeks,” Kosuke said quietly. “It’s been about three weeks.”

“Three WEEKS?” Natsume said. “When I notice someone, I’ve usually gone on at least one date with the person by that point! You’ve got to stop mooning and get with the action!”

“I . . I don’t know what to say to him . . .”

“Well, you’re in the same class, right? How about asking him to compare notes? Or to help you study? Or something, ANYTHING like that? You can’t just waste time, Kosuke! It’s our last year here! If you don’t make an impression pretty soon, well . . . the year will be over, and you’ll never get another chance. Get it?”

“I . . . I think so,” Kosuke said.

“Well, then? Give yourself a chance!”

Kosuke swallowed hard and looked at his plate again. Can I do it? He thought. Can I just walk up to him and do it?

* * *

Two weeks later, he still couldn’t. Every time he thought about approaching Hiro, he froze. It was like he was paralyzed in place. He stared, and swallowed, and stared some more . . . and just couldn’t approach him.

What am I so afraid of? he thought. Is it rejection? Having him turn me down flat, tell me he has a boyfriend already? Or . . . am I more afraid of him talking back, and not being able to talk to him? I’ve never been very good at talking to people I liked – at least in THAT way.

And meanwhile, he thought he saw Hiro everywhere he went. He’d walk down the street and think he caught a glimpse of pink hair on a street corner. He’d be riding the subway to class, and think he saw him on the other side of the aisle. He’d be in a stationery supply store, looking to find a new notebook among the billions stacked up there, and think he glimpsed the boy across the room.

But whenever he’d go to find him, there was nobody there. It was as if his mystery boy could disappear into the air, like smoke.

* * *

He was getting changed after his much-hated but mandatory gym class. Another student, one of the “cool guys,” was lounging on a changing bench, his sneakered feet propped up against one of the lockers.

“And, yeah, I just climbed out the window of my dorm,” the boy was saying. “I mean, she was waiting out there for me, what could I do? Just climbed out, and found her, and we went back to the bleachers by the soccer field, spread a blanket out underneath, and I don’t have to spell out the rest, know what I’m saying?”

What must it be like to be like that guy? Kosuke thought. To have that kind of confidence? To just be able to attract the person you want without a question or a thought? If I were like him, the pink-haired boy would be in my life by now . . .

He hurriedly grabbed his books from the locker, shut the door and headed back out in the hall. His next class was across campus. He’d just get there as fast as possible, and . . .

No sooner was he crossing the center court than he ran face-first into someone’s back – a dyed-blond girl whose backpack sported a button that said “Fuck off” in tiny letters, in both English and Japanese.

She whirled around. “HEY!” she said. “Why don’t you watch where you’re going, jerk?”

“I . . . I . . . I didn’t mean it . . .”

“Doesn’t matter what you meant, it’s what you DID. You could have knocked me over on my nose, you know that? You could have . . .”

“Leave him alone,” said a voice behind him.

“What’s it to YOU?” the young woman snapped.

“He’s in my class. He’s an okay guy. Just leave him alone, okay?”

“Fine.” The girl flounced off. “But don’t do it again!”

“Sorry about that,” said the voice behind him. “She’s kind of a prickly character. I like to think I’m the opposite.”

“Thank you for helping me out,” Kosuke said, turning around to face his rescuer . . . and he froze.

Oh, God, he thought. It’s him. The pink-haired boy.

“It’s nothing,” the boy said. “You ARE in my statistics class, aren’t you?”

“Oh . . . oh, yeah!” Kosuke said. “Yes, I am. Statistics? Yes, that’s me.” And he was babbling. Wonderful. Finally face to face with the person of his dreams, and he was sounding like a total idiot.

“Cool,” the boy said. “I’m Hiro, by the way. I don’t think we’ve been introduced.”

Hiro. So that was his name. Hiro. It . . . seemed to suit him in many ways. “Ko-ko-ko-Kosuke,” he said. Wonderful, now he couldn’t even get his own name out.

“Nice to meet you, Kosuke,” Hiro said, bowing. “Or finally meet you, I have to say.”

“Finally?”

“Well, we’ve been in class for what, over a month now? And I’ve been trying to meet as many people as I can. It’s kind of hard starting in a new campus.”

“New?”

“I was in the university’s Kobe division for my first three years,” Hiro said. “But then they had to shut that campus down. Budget cuts. So everyone who had gone there ended up being transferred to Tokyo. Good thing I have an aunt who lives here, it saves on the housing costs.”

“So that’s why I haven’t seen you before,” Kosuke said. Oh, God, does that give away that I’ve been looking at him? He thought. That I’ve been barely able to take my eyes off him?

“Exactly,” Hiro said. “It’s not exactly the best situation. It would have been far better if I’d been transferred after one year, or maybe two, but three-quarters of the way through my academic career? Yeah, that’s pretty hard.” He shifted his books to his other hip and gave Kosuke a big smile. “I’ve got a class right now, but afterward? I’ll be in the Coffee Hut if you want to stop and say hi, or study together, or just get coffee.”

A small panic gripped Kosuke. Is this a date? He thought. Does this mean something? No, I’m reading too much into it, aren’t I? I need to be more realistic about this . . . but still . . . What if I mess up? What if I go with him, and say the wrong thing, and ruin any chance I have with him, and . . .

I can’t think like that, he thought. If I keep thinking like that, I WILL ruin any chance I have with him. If I don’t go, I’m going to be left wondering “what if” forever, and could I really do that to myself? After all that wishing and hoping?

“Okay,” he said, quietly.

“Hmm?” Hiro said.

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll be there.”

“Terrific!” Hiro said. “I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Kosuke walked away, head swimming. Oh, my God, he thought, I did it. I talked to him. It was totally by accident, but . . . I talked to him!

But then, came the next question – where did things go from there?

* * *

Kosuke stood by the door of the coffee shop, his breath catching in his throat. Okay, he thought. I just have to open the door and go in, right? And . . . and . . . then what? What if he’s not there? What if he forgets that he invited me? What if he has someone else with him? What if . . .

He had to stop this. It was getting him nowhere at all. He grasped the door firmly, yanked it open and stepped in. His eyes swept over the people assembled there, and at first, he didn’t see the one he was looking for . . .

“Over here!” called a voice from the other end of the room. He rushed over, and sure enough, there was Hiro, his computer open in front of him. “I was just going to get a drink, do you want anything?”

He’s buying me a coffee? Kosuke thought. This suddenly seemed very date-like. “A medium latte, if that’s okay,” he said.

“More than okay,” Hiro said. “Have a seat, I’ll be right back.”

Kosuke sat in the opposite seat, looking at the back of the computer in front of him. I wonder what’s on it? He thought. Does he have a ton of music on it, or video files, or is it just school-only and he has personal stuff on another computer? He was half-tempted to turn it around and look – but that would be stalkerish, wouldn’t it? And he wasn’t that. No way.

Hiro came back with the cups and put Kosuke’s in front of him. “Here you go,” he said. “I’ve found that this place isn’t quite Starbucks, but it’s not half-bad.”

Kosuke took a tentative sip. “I agree,” he said.

“So tell me, Kosuke,” Hiro said. “What’s a nice guy like you doing in a place like this?”

Kosuke blinked. “Um, what?” Well, that was absolutely brilliant, wasn’t it?

“This university. What made you decide to go here?”

“Oh,” Kosuke said, sounding relieved. “Family tradition, I guess. My dad and my uncle both went here. Plus, they have a good design program.”

“Oh, yeah?” Hiro said. “That’s what you want to do? Make things?”

“Things for the home, mostly,” Hiro said. “You know, like . . . interior decorations. I have some designs here for wallpaper and curtain prints . . .” He picked up his portfolio and handed it to Hiro, feeling like he was handing the other man his very soul.

Hiro flipped through the pages. “Nice,” he said. “You’ve got quite an eye for color. You’ve got some combinations here that don’t seem like they’d work at first – but you make them work.”

“Thanks,” Kosuke said, blushing a bit. “I think my parents were a bit surprised when I told them this was what I wanted to do. They’re both teachers – they probably thought I’d follow in their footsteps.”

“But there’s nothing wrong with doing your own thing,” Hiro said. “That’s what I’m doing. I’m majoring in computer programming. But my ultimate goal? Build games.”

“Really?” Kosuke looked impressed. “That’s so cool!”

“And if you think your parents were surprised? Mine were livid,” Hiro said. “They thought I had no chance at success unless I was wearing a suit and tie behind a desk. But I convinced them that gaming guys could be successful, too.”

“How?”

“When we were in Tokyo visiting my uncle and aunt, I took them to Akihabara. And I showed them just how much money was being spent on video games there. Once they saw it in person? They got it. They haven’t given me crap about it ever since.”

“So, then . . . if you’re doing gaming, what are you doing in the statistics class?”

“I could ask you the same thing about design.”

“Math requirement,” Kosuke said, quietly.

“Me, too,” Hiro replied. He took a big drink of his coffee. “You know . . . it’s very different here in Tokyo. Not that Kobe is exactly a small place, but Tokyo is bigger and faster in every way imaginable. I actually like being here a lot more than I thought I would.”

“You didn’t want to come here?” Kosuke said.

“Well, not at first, but . . . circumstances kind of forced me.”

Kosuke nodded. “Your campus closed,” he said.

Hiro looked down and said, in an odd tone of voice, “Yeah. My campus closed.”

That’s strange, Kosuke thought. The way he’s talking . . . there’s something off about it. He wondered if there was more to it than what he was saying. But he wasn’t going to say anything. He wasn’t going to risk the fact that this guy was, well, TALKING to him at last.

Then, Hiro looked up at him and said, in a bright tone of voice, “So, what do you like to do when you’re not in class?”

“Well . . . I do play video games. And I have a bike I like to ride around town. And I hang out in manga cafes sometimes . . .”

“You have a bike, too?”

Kosuke was surprised that this was what drew comment rather than the video games. “Well, yes.”

“Cool, maybe we can go riding together sometime! There’s a park not too far from here that’s got a pretty nice bike path. My aunt showed it to me my first day here.”

Kosuke brightened. “Oh!” he said. “I like that idea!”

“Yep, no next time you want to go riding, just give me a . . .” He stopped. “Oh, I just realized that we don’t have each other’s numbers, do we?” He handed Kosuke his phone. “Here.”

Oh, wow, Kosuke thought. Phone number exchange. Now this really IS something. He quickly handed his own phone over as well. “I’d be glad to have your number.”

“You know,” Hiro said, taking the device and starting to punch into it, “you’re just as nice as I thought you’d be.”

“Really?” Kosuke said.

“Yes. I took one look at you and I figured you were someone I wanted to spend time with. That you’d be a genuinely sweet and respectful person. Unlike . . .” He looked away for a long moment, and then said, “Well, it doesn’t matter now.”

What is he talking about? Kosuke thought. Did he get burned by an ex? Is that why he had such a hard time talking to me?

* * *

Over the next couple of months, the boys met in that coffeehouse over and over, arriving at the same time during their mutual class breaks. They talked about school and whatever they were watching on TV at the moment and their families. They dreamed up what they would do if they were to make their own movie. They laughed together when things were going well and offered each other support when they weren’t.

And then, on weekends, they’d take their bikes down to the park and ride together. These were the times that Kosuke liked the best – just the two of them, no noisy crowds of students constantly in the background. They’d bring bentos with them and sit down on the grass, enjoying their lunch together.

“You know,” Hiro said one day, “I should have done this a lot sooner.”

“Done what sooner?”

“Said something to you. We could have been doing this from the first day of class.”

“But at least we’re doing it now, right?” Kosuke said. “I mean, it’s better late than never, as they say.”

“Better late than never? Maybe.” Hiro put aside his bento box. “I feel like we should be making up for lost time now.”

“How do you plan to do that?” said Kosuke.

“I don’t know. Maybe we can do something like, well, go for karaoke at night?”

Kosuke’s heart sped up. Hiro hadn’t made any gestures until now that would indicate that he considered Kosuke more than a friend, but this sounded an awful lot like . . . a date. More date-like than anything since their first meeting.

“I’d like that!” he said, quickly. “I mean, yes, let’s do it!” And that sounded sexual, didn’t it? “I mean, yes, let’s pick out a day for karaoke!”

“Tomorrow night?”

“Perfect!” Kosuke said. He had nothing on his schedule – but he would have cleared it entirely to spend more time with Hiro. Hell, he’d give up his own college graduation to spend more time with Hiro.

“All right, then!” Hiro said. “Why don’t we meet up at the entrance to this park? It’s a place we both know, and the karaoke isn’t too far from here.”

“Okay!” Kosuke said. “Um, what time?”

“Around seven?”

“Seven it is! And, Hiro? I’m . . . I’m really glad we’re spending more time together.”

Hiro gave him a big smile, and Kosuke felt like he was melting from the inside out.

“So am I,” Hiro said. “So am I.”

* * *

Two hours and Lord knew how many songs into their karaoke session, Kosuke thought he’d never had so much fun in his life.

He’d been more nervous about the evening than he probably should have been. He tried on outfit after outfit, wanting to look just right. He’d looked in the mirror more than he probably had in years.

But his nerves vanished as soon as they met up at the park and he saw Hiro’s smile. “Are you ready to have fun?” his friend said.

“Oh, definitely,” Kosuke said. “I haven’t done karaoke in a long time.”

“Neither have I,” Hiro said. “Not since I was at my old school.”

He doesn’t talk about his old school, Hiro thought. In fact, I think it’s the only thing he doesn’t talk about. I really want to know about it, but . . . I feel like it’s the one thing I really shouldn’t be asking about . . .

They found the karaoke place and blocked out three hours. They took turns singing song after song, including a long series of anime theme songs from their younger years. They ordered a pile of chicken nuggets and onion rings, plus ridiculously elaborate non-alcoholic drinks.

“God, I didn’t even have to look at the lyrics of that last one!” Kosuke laughed. “And I haven’t heard it in years!”

“You have a good memory,” Hiro said.

“You think so? Maybe that’s how I’ve gotten through school.”

“It’s how I’ve gotten through school, to be sure,” Hiro said. “That and my ability to bullshit my way through essays. When I was at my old school . . .” He suddenly stopped, and said, “Never mind. My turn to pick a song!”

What is it, Kosuke thought, that keeps him from talking about it? Did something happen there that was . . . bad?

“Oh, I want to sing this,” Hiro said. He punched in numbers . . . and a slow ballad started playing.

“I remember this!” Kosuke said. “It was the closing theme to . . .”

“Want to sing it with me?” And Hiro started with the first lyric. It was definitely an atypical anime closing – it was a love ballad, which celebrated the feelings of the main character for the female mecha pilot who fought at his side.

Kosuke grabbed the second microphone, and started singing along . . . softly, then more loudly as it went on. He turned and looked over at his duet partner . . . and realized Hiro was looking at him. Although . . . he wasn’t looking at him the way he usually did . . .

Maybe it was the song. Maybe he was being influenced by the music . . . or his memories of the anime. But Hiro was looking at him . . . the way he’d always wanted him to.

Kosuke tentatively moved closer to him as he sang. Hiro leaned toward Kosuke. Their voices blended, becoming softer, more romantic . . .

And then, when the song ended, Hiro closed the distance between them, and they were kissing. Kosuke felt his heart jump into his throat and pound . . . and just keep pounding.

The song ended. In the background, the generic filler video that played when nobody was using the karaoke came on the TV – a chirpy girl group talking about their latest single, accompanied by clips from their PV. Neither of them noticed. They just kept kissing.

Hiro leaned back, slowly. “I REALLY should have done that a lot sooner,” he said.

Kosuke just stood there, stunned, unable to believe that had just happened. I kissed him, he thought. I really, really kissed him. He thought about the first few weeks, when he just looked at Hiro from a distance, seemingly seeing him on every street corner . . .

“Hiro,” he said, softly.

“I wanted to do that for so long,” Hiro said. “I really did. But I was held back by . . . by . . .” He ran a hand over his head. “Never mind. Let’s just keep singing, and . . .” He took a deep breath. “And afterward, we’ll go somewhere and talk. There’s something I need to say . . . something I’ve been holding back a long time.”

Kosuke looked concerned. “Hiro . . . what . . .”

Hiro leaned over and kissed him quickly. “We’ll just have fun for the rest of the hour, okay? We’ve been having a good time . . . and we should keep doing it.”

What am I going to find out? Kosuke thought. What kept Hiro from doing this until now?

* * *

There was a Starbucks near the karaoke place that was open until midnight. They went there and settled in with their drinks, and Kosuke played with his straw nervously. What am I going to hear? he thought. What if it’s something that affects my feelings for him? Can I deal with that?

Hiro looked at him and said, “Okay, you’ve probably noticed that I don’t talk about my old school very much. Meaning, at all.”

Kosuke nodded. Okay, he thought, here it comes.

“It’s true that the campus shut down, and everyone who was going there either transferred here or to another college in the Kansai area,” Hiro said. “But what I didn’t tell you was . . . I had put in for the transfer even before they announced the closing.”

Kosuke looked up from his drink. Oh, God, he thought, something bad happened. I was right. “Why?”

“There was a guy there,” Hiro said, softly. “He was . . . a foreigner. From one of the Eastern European countries. I liked him. And for awhile, we were friendly. I thought he liked me back. I really did. But what I didn’t know was . . .” 

He paused, and looked away for a long moment. When he continued, it was in a harsh, chilly voice. “It was just the opposite. I didn’t know. I had no idea at all. I guess where he comes from . . . they’ve got much harsher views of LGBT people. And so, one night, there was a party on campus, and I . . . we were drinking. Everyone was. There were people all over the quadrangle, just hanging out and having beers and playing music, and . . .”

Hiro looked down and swallowed hard. This part was obviously going to be hard for him. Kosuke reached over and put his hand on Hiro’s. “It’s okay,” he said, softly.

“He and I ended up going for a walk apart from the others,” he said. “And I thought it meant that, well, he liked me, right? And he wanted to get friendlier. So when we were standing there, talking, I leaned over and I kissed him. Just a quick kiss on the lips. And he pulled back, looking absolutely stunned. I realized I’d misread his intentions, and I just stood there apologizing, and then . . .”

Hiro took a deep breath. “He hit me,” he said. “He pulled back his fist and punched me dead in the face and sent me sprawling. And then he leapt on me and just kept hitting me. He punched me in the face, in the stomach, in the ribs, just everywhere. And he was yelling words in English and his native language and . . . I knew they were anti-gay slurs, even though I didn’t understand them. The one word I did know, though, was . . . faggot.”

“Oh, no,” Kosuke said. He felt tears come to his eyes. For Hiro to survive something like that . . . gay-bashing wasn’t as common in Japan as it was in the Western world, but it did happen. To have someone do that to him, someone that he thought he liked . . .

“By that time, I was yelling for help,” Hiro said. “Fortunately, someone heard me and pulled him off me and called the campus police, but by the time they showed up, the bastard had taken off. They took me to the infirmary, and then sent me to the hospital for X-rays. I just felt numb inside. I couldn’t believe it had happened. And when the numbness wore off, I felt sick. It was . . . a betrayal. That’s the only way I could describe it. A flat-out betrayal.”

“Hiro . . .” Kosuke squeezed his hand, hard. Oh, my God, he thought. Oh, my God. No wonder it took so long for him to approach me. He was afraid it was going to happen again. “Did . . . did they punish him? Expel him from the school?”

Hiro shook his head. “He gave the school officials some bullshit story about it being some boys-will-be-boys drunken brawl over a girl, of all things. And they believed him and let him off with a warning. That’s when I knew I had to get out of there. I couldn’t stand the sight of him anymore. I couldn’t even stand the sight of that campus. I put in for the transfer the next semester . . . and ironically, two days later they announced that branch of the university was closing. I just hoped and prayed the bastard wouldn’t be coming to this campus with me . . . but he decided to go back to his home country at the end of the semester. Good riddance.”

“Good thing,” Kosuke said. “If I met him, I’d pound him into the ground.” He paused. “Okay, I’m not usually the pound someone into the ground type, but in this case? I’d do it!”

“When I came to this campus, I noticed you right away,” Hiro said. “But . . . I had cold feet. I sat there and stared at you across the statistics class, and thought you looked so cute, and I wanted to meet you, but . . . I was terrified of what would happen if you didn’t like guys, and felt uncomfortable with the whole idea of liking guys, and . . .”

“I used to just sit there and stare at you, too,” Kosuke said. “I thought about you so much. I just wanted to meet you, but I didn’t know how. I don’t know how to talk to people I like. No reason – I mean, there’s nothing in my past like you had, but . . . it’s just the way I am.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being shy, you know,” Hiro said. “In fact? On you, it’s adorable.”

“You think so?” Kosuke said, blushing.

“I know so!” Hiro squeezed his hand. “Well, when I saw that girl yelling at you in the hall . . . I couldn’t let that happen. I came to your rescue. And then we were talking, and I thought . . . okay, I’ll just be friends with him. No danger in being friends, right? Except I was scared to take it further. I wanted to so much, but . . .”

“What made you decide you could?” Kosuke said.

“Because the day before I asked you to karaoke, you were talking about a boy you liked in high school,” Hiro said. “Remember that?”

“Oh,” Kosuke said. It was something that had just come up in casual conversation in the coffeehouse – Kosuke had said there was a boy he had a crush on in high school who never knew he was alive, but he just sat there and mooned over him. He didn’t think anything of it at the time he was talking about it.

“When you said that . . . and you just looked so cool over it, like it was just a part of your regular life . . . I knew you weren’t going to do to me what that other guy did. I knew you liked boys, and you were comfortable with it. You were what I’d hoped you’d be.”

“Which is?” Kosuke said.

“Quite possibly? The person I’ve waited for all my life. And when we kissed at karaoke tonight, I knew for sure.”

Kosuke suddenly jumped up, ran to the other side of the booth and hugged him. “I feel the same way,” he said. “I’ve felt you were the person for me from the time we first met . . . and now . . .”

“Now?”

“Well . . . um . . . that is . . . I want to . . .”

“Let’s do this officially,” Hiro said. “Kosuke . . . will you be my boyfriend?”

“Yes! Yes, oh, God, yes . . .” He leaned in to kiss him . . . and then pulled back. “Oh . . . this isn’t the place to do that, is it? Kissing, I mean.”

“Why don’t we go out to our park? We can kiss there as much as we want. There won’t be anybody there this time of night.”

“I like that idea,” Kosuke said. They got up with their cups and headed for the exit, and as soon as they were out in the street, they reached over and touched fingertips – a subtle way of holding hands.

“You know something?” Hiro said. “Right now, I think I feel better than I have in months. Ever since that night at my old school, in fact. I feel . . . healed.”

“I just am glad I had something to do with that,” Kosuke said.

“You had everything to do with it,” Hiro said. “And if we see that girl with the fuck-off button? We owe her a big thank you.”

“We do, don’t we?” Kosuke said.

“She brought us together,” Hiro said. “Though I’m sure that’s the last thing in the world she’d want to admit.”

Laughing, they went off to their park together. One chapter in their lives was ending. Another had just begun. And it was going to be the best that either of them had ever known.

* * *

The two were a close and loving couple for the rest of their senior year. On their graduation day, they met each other’s families. Fortunately, both of them accepted their sons as they were, and were happy that they’d found each other.

Afterward, they got their first jobs and moved into an apartment together. It was a tiny space to be sure, but they made it into a loving home nonetheless – and when they both got their first promotions and first raises, they moved into another that was big enough for them to bring a cat into their family.

The incident at Hiro’s old university was never mentioned again. It had been fully put into the past. Hiro had moved forward from it and found love and a bright future.

And one day, they just happened to run into the girl who used to wear the “fuck off” button in the street, and they thanked her profusely – although she was baffled as to why these two guys she barely remembered from college were thanking her.

She had no idea how much she had contributed to their ultimate happiness.


End file.
